P.S. Jesus loves you

I flicked on the TV last night at 9ish and watched the first 10 minutes of a film being rerun. About 80 minutes later I turned the TV on again and, faced with nothing else of any interest, watched the last 20 minutes or so of the same film.

I think I got the gist of the story. A young American lady who had married at 19 is faced with the death of her "charming" Irish husband. Already it sounds quite a deep film, however to add some more drama to the proceedings, her husband, Jerry, left a series of letters with family members for her.

I caught the opening of the last two letters, and was intrigued to see how the story might pan out.

If you haven't guessed which film this was then a big clue is in the ending of each letter: P.S. I love you.


When I picked up the story, the lady was faced with trying to discover some meaning or purpose in her life after the death of Jerry. Whatever she did seemed empty. Nothing felt right. Her friendship with a man named Daniel (I joined the film late and have no idea where this feller came from) just lacked something: he wasn't Jerry.

After reading a letter Jerry had left with his mother, we learn- through a flashback- of how they first met. She, a young naive American tourist, was lost in deepest Ireland. Jerry finds her on a roadside. She, full of the youthful vigour of an art student, tells him that as we must pour out all of our creativity into our life (or words to that effect).

Back in the present day, she attempts to rekindle that creativity by designing shoes. Unsurprisingly it doesn't take her long to discover that shoes, on their own, do not hold much meaning or purpose.

Eventually, one year (and one more letter) on, she finds some slight purpose in her creative work and in her friendship with her mother. Jerry is gone but she feels that she can, one day, love again.

The credits roll.

I found this ending very honest; alarmingly honest in fact. Although my sleep-deprived brain failed to pinpoint my worry, I felt that it was too honest. She may have come to terms with her loss of Jerry and her lack of ultimate purpose, but I hadn't. This morning, over breakfast, I managed to realise what it was that I had felt: truthfully, how much meaning can one find in a life without God? All credit to the film producer and script writer- they hadn't tried to insert some pointless meaning in her life. Why? Because they, presumably, couldn't find anything that would work.

Perhaps the one meaning or purpose they had found was in the love between Jerry and the lady (who's name eludes me). Throughout the film she kept looking back and pining after the love they shared.

However I couldn't help but observe- perhaps because I missed the middle of the film- that the beginning of the story disagreed. It had started with a row between the couple. He wanted kids, she wasn't ready just yet. The fight led to Jerry demanding what it was that she really wanted in life. She had no answer. He stormed out.

P.S. I love you has actually managed to highlight the real issue in life. There is no meaning without God. The highest form of purpose mankind has found (without God) is love. But love- if left long enough- appears to end and fail and crumble and decompose.

Could it be that the love idealised by society is actually not love as it is meant to be?  The Bible says that God is love. Therefore Godless love is, at best, an empty carcass- a shell of the real thing.

Solomon, thousands of years ago, tried to find a purpose in life without God. He tried work, pleasure, power, entertainment, religion and love. In fact Solomon wrote the book on love! Song of Solomon is the world's greatest love song! However, although he acknowledged that all of these things have their time and place, ultimately none of them give us meaning or purpose without God.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

  a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

  a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

  a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

  a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

  a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

  a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

  The book of Ecclesiasties, writen by Solomon, starts with these words: Vanity of Vanities, all is vanity, says the preacher. Life without God is vanity.

At the end of his book Solomon came to this conclusion: The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.


I don't know about you, but to me that sounds pretty painful. The 'whole duty of man' is to fear God? To keep his rules? Well Jesus tells us that actually there is nothing better to do!

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The Bible has no footnote: P.S. I love you. You want to know why? The whole book says it! God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not die but have eternal love! When we realise this and trust in God and love him with all our hearts, souls and minds then we experience love as it truly is. We finally find the truth and purpose in this life.

Solomon found it eventually.

I can't help but wonder if we shall see a sequel...

P.S. Jesus loves you

A Tale of Two Toys

The majority of the last two working days I have spent alone, in an upstairs unit of a warehouse,   taking photographs of vintage toys which will feature in our upcoming auction at work (work, for me is auctioneering).

The subjects of my photography vary from dolls to stuffed animals, lead soldiers to dinky cars. Prams, toy trains, castles and monopoly have surrounded me.

I managed to work at a rate of 50pph. (For the uninitiated in the "Matt's System of Counting", that is 50 [finished] pictures per hour)
Now that sounds a reasonable rate of photographing, but I had 480 lots to get through! Each photo required meticulous composition, preparation and lighting (I hope my boss is reading this!) It was a time consuming task.

Being seperated from human life by several corridors, doorways, a car-park and a road, led me to become slightly jumpy and my mind began to wander. As the clock ticked on and my stomach started to grumble the bears and dolls took on a whole new slant.

What had, at first, been a sweet doll with an adorable 'puppy dog' expression had turned into a nasty monster with an evil leer. As my eyes panned over the array of creatures my mind played tricks on me; Paddington Bear seemed to be glaring right at me, a stuffed whale was eagerly licking its..... lips? awaiting the moment my back was turned and it could devour me into its foamy insides.

My photo studio had turned into a nightmare. What happened, I wondered, when the lights went out and I left for the night? Did the toys come alive? My imaginative mind began to piece together scenes from Toy Story and Night in the Museum, but with much, much gruesomer plot lines.

I pictured the wars for dominance that doubtless took place each night. The thousands of lead soldiers- mercenaries, crusaders, knights, archers, pikemen, musketeers- all coming alive and commandeering Corby and Matchbox cars in order to blitzkrieg the unsuspecting Barbies, who themselves were reclining in their plastic kitchen with Ken. Did the Star Wars space ship jump into action and bombard the Thomas and Friends Fat Controller who had began to order (as per his job) the myriads of Hornby train sets to ensure that no accidents occurred during his watch.

Did they meet secretly together, plotting how to overthrow their human masters who had enslaved them in this warehouse?

I started to panic.

The doll with the rotating head was looking in my direction (but then he was looking in every direction!)

Wait!

That Action Man was definitely closer than before!


I decided it was time for a lunch break!


Strange isn't it- the tricks your mind plays on you.

It made me think though....

What right do the toys have to command their destinies? What right to "human rights" do they have? If, as I highly suspect, they are planning a coup against their human overlords, what sense of 'justice' or 'right' are can they possible appeal to? They were designed and created for the pleasure of children. Their very purpose in life is to bring joy and happiness to kids. How can they possibly think that they have a 'right' to disagree?

If evolution is true- If I am a monkey gone mad- then an Action Man actually has more of a purpose than I do.

Max Lucado uses the imagery of a cricket (the bug not the game) in his book In the Grip of Grace (which I highly recommend reading). One day during communion at his church, he spotted a cricket wandering around. This led him to ask- can a cricket comprehend communion?

...as far as the cricket is concerned, his entire universe is an auditorium. I can envision him taking his son out of the wall at night and telling him to look up at the rafters. He wraps his clickers around the boy's back and sighs, "It's a mighty sky we live under, son." Does he know he sees only a fraction?.....

Perhaps the best question is, who does a cricket worship? Does he acknowledge that there was a hand behind the building? Or does he choose to worship the building itself? Or perhaps a place in the building? Does he assume that since he has never seen the builder there was no builder?   The hedonist does. Since he has never seen the hand who made the universe he assumes there is not life beyond the here and now.....

Is that what my toys assume? Do they think that the warehouse and its racking and conveyor belt and industrial flooring had a builder? Or do they believe in a Big Bang which bought their home into existence?

Assume that these crickets are quite advanced and often engage in the philosophical question, "Is there life beyond the rafters?" Some crickets believe there is. There must be a creator of this place. How else would the lights come on? How else could music fill the room? But other crickets disagree. Upon study they find the lights come on because of electricity... and music is the result of stereos and speakers. "There is no life beyond this room", they declare. 

   You see Max's point? Do the toys believe in a maker of the room, or someone who made them for that matter? Or did the Buzz Lightyears simply evolve from a fluffy bear, who in turn evolved from a stress ball?  What about Woody? Did he also come from the same stress ball? Or did they both in fact have a designer who made them?

Hmmm. When we have a lower view of ourselves and a larger view of the universe we rapidly discover that a designer is the obvious conclusion!

Just one lesson that I learnt today.... from working amongst toys!

Wednesday's Whispers

A few Wednesday thoughts:


Chicken Crossing

Our chickens recently had a shock. They emerged from their coop to discover that the garden had been split into two. A large new wire fence spanning from the workshop to the shed. The bark, soil and arid back end is all theirs, while the luscious and exotic lawn and flower beds are off limits.

What would you do- if you were a chicken I mean? stay inside your area, or break out?
Ethel and Hilda rove backwards and forwards along the 'demarcation line', occasionally, when they have plucked up enough courage, thrusting their beaks through the holes in the wire into 'the other side'.
Once or twice they have even managed to fly/leap over the boundary and have enjoyed a few brief moments on the lawn.

The Bible gives Christians some clear no-go zones. A line has been drawn in the sand. The Lord has graciously established boundaries in our lives. He told the newly-freed Israelites "I have bought you out of Egypt- out of slavery- therefore have no other gods." As Christians, we are free. We are free from the slavery of sin in our lives. I think it was Jason Robinson who said "I used to have no choice but to say "yes". Now I have a choice: I can say "no"."

The Lord Jesus Christ has freed us from sin. So why is it that we try to get as close to sin as we can? We cautiously, while casting glances around us, sidle up to that metaphorical fence, reach out and touch it.... and then scurry away.

If we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and minds, then why are we tempting him? Why are trying to live as close to sin as we can get?

Our chickens are so desperate to enjoy the magical, wonderful lands on the other side of the fence that they spend no time enjoying the ground they do have! I think one day we will find that Heaven- and living as Christians on earth- is so so so much greater than the pleasures of sin.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

....[Moses choose] rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.  

1 and 2 Kings

Elijah.... what was his problem?


I've been reading 1/2 Samuel and 1/2 Kings recently, and the prophet Elijah has really leapt out at me. What was his problem?! Just when things are going right- when the bad prophets of Baal have been beaten and destroyed and rain has returned to the dry and barren land- Elijah hears that Queen Jezebel (who closely resembles the wicked white witch, Queen of Narnia in C.S. Lewis' novels) has been told by her sniveling wretch of a husband about his contest with the prophets of Baal. She isn't a happy camper.

Elijah is scared. 450 prophets of Baal have just been defeated by Elijah's God who worked wonders by sending fire on Mount Carmal, and yet Elijah is so scared of Jezebel that he runs all the way to Beersheba in the south, 120 miles.

Arriving in southern Judah, Elijah pleads with God to kill him. When the word of the Lord comes to him all he can say is:

 “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

He is positively dripping with self-pity. So, the Lord shows Elijah his power through wind and an earthquake and fire. And then the Lord speaks to Elijah in a small still whisper. Has Elijah now seen sense? Does he now appreciate the might of his God? Well this is his reply:


“I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Hmmm. Nothing changed then. But God doesn't give up on this wreck of a self-pitying worm. Rather he replies that he is going to totally eradicate the line of Ahab and Jezebel. He will purge the monarchy. And you know what? Elijah is going to appoint the new Kings of Israel and Syria. And you know what's more? Elijah is not the only one left. There are 7,000 Israelites who have refused to bow down to Baal.

You know what? We are like Elijah. Faced with God's power and mercy and grace we cower, scared of the apparent might of the world. We are afraid to proclaim Jesus and we are scared to trust the Lord.
You know what else? God will continue to work in us- vessels of clay- and will continue to make us more like Jesus every day, despite our weakness and fear. Isn't that wonderful? I think so.